


Indigio Dawn

by Mega Eeveelutions (TheBlackClowReed)



Series: Road to Master [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, How do I tag?, Only by a couple years, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Contests, Pokemon Training, title will change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-03-02 03:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13309143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlackClowReed/pseuds/Mega%20Eeveelutions
Summary: A Pokemon remix that combines the Manga, Anime, and Core Games.At the age of thirteen, Ash sets off on his adventure to become a Pokemon Master. While his heart was set on a Charmander, in a twist of fate he is given a prideful Eevee as his Pokemon Starter. Together with his former classmates and friends, he travels through Kanto on his journey.But the road to become a Master isn't easy. As secrets come to light and people begin moving in the shadows, Ash find himself faced with the question of just how much he is willing to risk and sacrifice to make his dream a reality.





	1. The Journey Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I was supposed to update Memoria, but along the way, the idea for this story got stuck in my head and wouldn't leave me alone. In the end, I ended up breaking down and typing this out.

**_ Kanto Region: Pallet Town _ **

Brilliant light shined down on the small city of Pallet Town; bathing the entire settlement within its brilliance. And on the outskirts of the small town, in the house he shared with his mother, one Kaneko Satoshi raced through his room as his television blared behind him.

He’d spent the last few weeks watching the three year old footage, and was pretty sure that he now had the entire battle memorized. But that didn’t stop him from reviewing it again.

While he knew that he wasn’t supposed to be awake for at least another half hour, he also knew that he wasn’t even going to try to go back to sleep. How could he hope to catch even a minute of sleep when he felt such a mixture of anxiousness and excitement? His emotions were bubbling up inside of him, and threatening to spill out like a volcanic eruption.

How could he hope to be anything, when he’d finally reached the single most important day of his life? The day that everything he’d ever experienced had been leading up to? The day he’d finally start his life as an official Pokémon Trainer.

He’d been looking forward to this day for as long as he could remember. Ever since that summer he spent in Professor Oak’s camp, back when he was a small child, he’d been waiting for this day. And now it was finally here.

Satoshi, or Ash as was most often called, was thirteen years old, with his birthday being six months ago. Going by tradition, Ash should have started his journey right after he’d turned ten years old. But due to a new law passed by the United Regions, he’d been forced to put his journey on hold for a few more years for extra studying.

Ash hoped that after three years of extra education from one of the best Trainers in the entire history of Kanto, he’d finally reached a point where he was ready to leave on his own.

After taking one last look around his room, making sure he’d packed away everything he could possibly want to take with him, Ash decided that he was ready to go and went downstairs. Taking a look around, he wasn’t surprised to see that his mom had already left ahead of him, leaving a semi-warm plate of food on the table and a note saying she had to leave to the Lab.

His mom worked alongside Professor Oak and his many assistants as his partner; while not at the same level as the Professor, she was still one of Kanto’s top Pokémon researchers and easily its top Pokémon Anthropologist. Since they’d moved to Kanto years ago, she’d made a name for herself as an expert on the proper care and raising of Pokémon; many Trainers made trips to Pallet Town for the sole purposes of getting his mother’s opinion on their teams.

‘ _One day,_ ’ Ash thought, ‘ _after I become a Pokémon Master, I’ll have to remember to ask her to teach me everything she knows so I can keep my own team in prime condition._ ’

With that in mind, Ash took one last check through his bag to make sure he had everything he’d need, before taking off out the door and in the direction of Professor Oak’s lab. While a part of him wanted to stay and eat the plate his mom had left out for him, he already knew that doing so would just make him late.

**_… … … … … … … … …_ **

Ash continued to hurry along the way to Professor Oak’s lab. In his hurry to leave, he’d forgotten a handful of things in his room and had to double back to get them. Now he was once again running towards the Lab, only now he was in danger of being late.

‘ _Just my luck,_ ’ Ash thought with a scowl. ‘ _I wake up early and prepare, only to still somehow manage to be late._ ’

As he was running, he caught sight of a boy and girl around his own age coming from the other roads. The girl was dressed in a short red skirt and a sleeveless blue top, with a mane of auburn hair that went almost to her waist. The boy on the other hand, had a mop of pale blue hair and was wearing an outfit more similar to Ash’s.

It took Ash a few moments to recognize them since they were dressed in different outfits than he was used to seeing them in, but as they got closer he realized that they were Raye and Nate from his Trainers Class.

‘ _At least I’m not the only one running late._ ’ Ash thought with a slight smile. ‘ _Literally._ ’

Giving them a small nod of the head and a “hello” in between pants of breaths, Ash fell into place beside them as they continued on the path. As they continued to run, Ash could feel his excitement building up despite his tiredness. He was almost there.

Red-faced and sweaty, Ash, Raye, and Nate managed to drag themselves up the steps of the Professor’s lab and burst through the door, just as the clock struck and chimed, all three of them panting with exhaustion.

Already waiting in the lab were Professor Oak’s twin grandchildren, Daisy and Gary. Like Ash, both of them were geared up for the start of their journeys; Daisy had her long hair pulled into a tight braid and was wearing a purple summer dress, with purple knee-high boots and gloves of the same color. Similarly, Gary was wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt and dark blue pants, with black combat boots.

“What took you guys so long?” Gary asked. “Ash is always late, so I understand him, but you two are usually early.”

Ash rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn’t respond. He was far too tired from the running.

“Shut up, Gary. I’m too tired and too sweaty to put up with you right now,” said Raye panting. She glanced at Daisy and smiled, standing up taller. “Good morning, Daisy.”

Daisy smiled brightly. “Morning, Raye…and Ash, and Nate. Are you guys as excited as I am?”

“Are you kidding?” Raye asked excitedly “I stayed up all night thinking about today, I was too excited to sleep.”

“Same here,” Nate chimed in. He looked to Ash and grinned. “My mom had to give me a couple of her sleeping pills to get me into bed.”

“Well it’s good to know that you’re all so excited about starting your adventure.”

The five jumped and whirled around to see that the door to the lab had opened up, revealing none other than the Professor himself. Once the Indigo Champion and a true Pokémon Master, Sam Oak, as he was known around Pallet Town, was a huge source of inspiration for a lot of the kids in Pallet Town, the five before him were know exception. While Gary and Daisy were the Professors actual Grandchildren, Ash himself was the Professor’s Godson and had known the man for most of his life as a result.

He wore his usual outfit of a white lab coat over a red polo shirt tucked into khaki pants. As had become the norm for the last couple of months, the Professor’s hair was in a mess and he had bags under his eyes. While he’d made an attempt to look more presentable for the kids, it was clear to all of them that the Professor been working all night.

“Good morning children,” He said, stifling a yawn, “It seems that all of you are here on time for once. Good.”

At that last part, everyone turned towards Ash with a pointed look in their eyes, making him scowl as his face turned red.

“Now, I believe it’s safe to assume you’re all anxious to begin your Pokémon journey, and for good reason; once you leave this town with your new Pokémon, it’ll be the beginning of an entirely new Chapter in your lives. The world of Pokémon is an incredible one!” Professor Oak said, looking at each of them. “There will be most certainly be fun time, but it will be dangerous as well, especially with the likes of Team Rocket out there. If it absolutely comes down to it, your Pokémon will protect you. However, please remember: your Pokémon are not tools, but partners and friends. Just as they protect you, you must also do your part to protect and care for them as well. Understood?”

Each of them nodded, the speech they were hearing wasn’t a new one, but they still took it to heart each time they heard it. While it rarely happened, the Professor had been known to not give trainers one of his Pokémon if he had even the slightest doubt they would be mistreated.

The Professor continued to stare them down for a few more moments, studying each of them, before he nodded, apparently satisfied with whatever he saw in each of them.

“Right, well then. If you’d five would just follow me to the lab, I’ll give each of your starters and send you on your way,” Professor Oak said. “If you five think you’re exited, you should see your Pokémon.”

He turned on his heel and walked to the lab’s main area, with the five following behind him. He led them to a large room with a large supercomputer and dozens of books on one side, and a small sitting area on the other. In the very center of the room was Ash’s mom and one of the Professor’s many assistants, standing on either side of a circular table with three Poké Balls and a small cardboard box.

“Now, as you all already know, I am a Pokémon Professor: someone who conducts research on Pokémon. However, it isn’t an easy job: I don’t have as many assistants as I would like, and I’m not as young as I used to be,” He looked at each of them. “This is where you five come in. In addition to gifting you with these Pokémon and starting you on your journey’s, I will also be giving each of you a Pokédex so you can help me in my research.”

Gary rolled his eyes. “Gosh, Gramps. And here I thought you were doing this from the goodness of your heart. Figures.”

“Nothing in this world is free, Gary,” The Professor said with a small frown. “And these Pokémon I’ve gotten for you five especially weren’t. It took the better part of a year to get you five the Pokémon you’ll be receiving today. Now, lets get this show on the road. Which of you would like to go first?”

The five of them shared a quick look, and the boys took a step back.

Ash smiled. “Ladies first, right mom?”

“That’s right!” Delia beamed proudly. “Daisy, Raye, come on up and get your Pokémon.”

Daisy and Raye shared another look between them, before Daisy walked to the table, having known which Pokémon she’d wanted ever since she wanted to leave on her journey.

“I like all three of them,” Daisy began, “But if I had to choose, then I’m going to have to go with Charmander here.”

Professor Oak nodded to Delia, who picked up the Poké Ball closest to her, tapping the release button and letting out the Pokémon within it. There was a small burst of red and white light that materialized into a small, orange-scaled Pokémon that resembled a salamander. It stood on its hind legs, with a small flame on the very tip of its tail.

Looking as if it’d just woken up from a nap, the Charmander looked around tiredly, fixing everyone with an expression of boredom. However, the moment that its eyes landed on Professor Oak, it went from tired and bored, to hateful and fool of energy. It hissed and flexed its claws, the flame on its tail doubling in size. For his part, the Professor just sighed, as if it were a regular occurrence.

“Yes, yes, Charmander. Hello to you too. You’ll be happy to know that your new partner is here.”

At Charmander’s look of confusion, the Professor pointed a finger at Daisy, who took that as her queue to introduce herself. Kneeling down so she was eye level with Charmander, she held out her hand and said “Hi there, Charmander. I’m Daisy, the Professor’s granddaughter.”

Charmander sniffed Daisy’s hand and studied her for several minutes, as if sizing her up. Eventually, it relaxed and nodded its head ever so slightly; it was a yes, if barely. Daisy let out the breath she’d been holding and smiled, scooping Charmander into her arms.

Professor Oak nodded. “Right then, Raye? I do believe it’s your turn?”

Raye nodded and quickly stepped forward, studying the other two Poké Balls. After a few minutes of tense silence, she took a deep breath before pointing at the one closest to Professor Oak’s assistant. The bespectacled man nodded and picked it up, pressing down on the release button, releasing a small, turquoise, lizard-like creature with four short legs. Atop of it’s back was a large green plant bulb that looked like it had no intention of opening any time soon.

Like Charmander before it, the Bulbasaur too looked like it’d just woken up from a nap. It yawned as it observed its surroundings, pausing at the sight of Charmander within Daisy’s arms, only to have the same fierce reaction that Bulbasaur had upon seeing the Professor. Two vines sprouted from it’s back and reared back dangerously, while the Bulbasaur itself began growling.

Professor Oak sighed and gestured to Raye. “Hello there, Bulbasaur. Today is my Trainer Class’s official starting day, and one of them has decided to select you as their partner.”

Like Daisy, Raye knelt forward and introduced herself. However, much to everyone’s surprise, Bulbasaur didn’t even wait for Raye to finish before it jumped into her arms, wrapping a vine around one of her wrists and nuzzling its face into her neck.

“Didn’t see that coming,” Gary mumbled underneath his breath. Then, in a louder voice he said, “Of course you’d choose Bulbasaur as your starter, Raye. Considering your real name and all.”

Raye for her part, just rolled her eyes. “Gosh Gary, that was so funny I forgot to laugh.”

Professor Oak coughed, looking to the boys. “That just leaves Squirtle. Which of you wishes to go next?”

Before Ash or Gary could speak, Nate immediately jumped forward to go next, much to their annoyance. But they let it go, they couldn’t blame Nate for being so excited when they were just as excited as he was.

‘ _Not to mention that the Professor gives out the same trio of Pokémon each year,_ ’ Ash thought. ‘ _so it’s not as if he doesn’t have more._ ’

Nate walked up to the table and looked at the last remaining Poké Ball, shaking as he did so. Taking a deep breath, he reached forward and grabbed the Poké Ball himself, pressing his thumb in and opening it up. There was another flare and a small, light blue, turtle-like Pokémon appeared, standing on two legs, with a curly and furry tail coming out of its shell. Like the last two starters, the Squirtle looked around tiredly, looking curiously at Bulbasaur and Charmander, only for a dark look to pass over its face upon seeing Professor Oak. One glance at him had the Squirtle hissing and growling, it’s tail unfurling and standing on end.

“Geeze, Grandpa,” Gary said, shooting the Professor a confused look, “What did you do to make them hate you so much?”

Daisy nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never seen Pokémon so upset before, and I’ve seen your Charizard.”

All five of the children shivered at the reminder of Char, Professor Oak’s Charizard. If there was ever a true monster of a Pokémon, then Char was definitely it. Ash had never actually seen it fight before, but even the simulations and mock battles that the Professor allowed them to do with his old Pokémon team was enough to instill Ash with a fear that was beaten only by that of his Mother. That Giratina masquerading as an Charizard was a true force to be reckoned with.

Professor Oak sighed. “Nate, if you would, please introduce yourself to Squirtle?”

Nate crouched down to Squirtle’s level. “Uh, hi. I’m Nate. I don’t suppose you’d like to come with me?”

Like Charmander, it spent a few minutes studying Nate’s face, before replying. Just when Ash thought it was going to say no, it nodded his head and walked forward. Unlike Charmander and Bulbasaur before it, Squirtle didn’t allow itself to be picked up. Instead, it took a stance next to Nate, folding its arms. Ash and Gary turned to each other, shared another look and smiled, stepping up to the table together.

“I guess that leaves us. Naturally, the best would be saved for last,” Gary smirked and crossed his arms. However, when the Professor failed to say anything, his smile faltered and his arms dropped to his sides. “Gramps?”

It was then that the others noticed that was wrong; there were five of them, but there had only been three Poké Balls on the table and they’d each been handed out already. Ash felt a lump of disappointment and incredible sadness in his throat as he realized there was a high chance that he wasn’t going to be getting his Starter today.

“Grandpa, you did have more than three Pokémon ready today, right?” Daisy asked, setting her Charmander down. “Ash and Gary are gonna be getting their Pokémon too, aren’t they?”

The children turned to the Professor with looks of hope and surprise on their faces, the same question in each of their minds.

Professor Oak winced and began to rub the back of his neck. “…I might have another pair of Pokémon ready. Two of a kind actually. But they’re not the kind that are typically given out, especially as Starters as they are usually a handful. Are you boys sure you’re up to it?”

“Yes! I’ll take it no matter what it is!” Gary exclaimed.

“Same here!” Ash said. “Whatever it is, I want it.”

The Professor looked unsure, but he nodded to his assistant, who left the room and returned a moment later holding a pair of Poké Balls, each one an infinity symbol on it. Professor Oak took the pair of Poké Balls from his assistant and stared Ash and Gary down with the most serious expression that either of them had ever seen him wear.

“Both of you listen, because I’m only going to say this once,” Professor Oak began, taking a deep breath. “the Pokémon that you two will be receiving are not your average Pokémon, especially as Starters. While powerful, this specific species tend to be a challenge for rookie trainers, and many tend to grow frustrated and abandon them without a second thought. In particular, these Pokémon have had almost a dozen rookie trainers select them as their Starters, each lasting only a month before being sent back. I am trusting the two of you to give these Pokémon the home they rightfully deserve. Can I trust you to do this?”

Gary nodded. “Yes! You can count on me, Grandpa.”

“Yeah, the Pokémon and I’ll be the best of friends before you know it!” Said Ash.

The Professor continued to look at Ash and Gary, taking in their eager and determined faces, before he finally sighed and relented. He told the kids and his assistants to step back, then handed Ash and Gary the Poké Balls he held his hands. While he’d been able to be somewhat calm when the others received their Pokémon, he couldn’t help but feel nervous now. Whichever Pokémon was in the Poké Ball would be the Pokémon that was going to start him on his journey as a Pokémon Master, and would hopefully be the one to stay with him for life.

‘ _It’s now or never,’_ Ash thought, looking towards Gary, who was fiddling with his Poké Ball. Upon feeling Ash’s eyes on him, he looked up and met Ash’s nervous look with one of his own. After a moment, his face took on a less timid look and he squared his shoulder, sending Ash a determined look that he immediately understood. ‘ _Let’s do this._ ’

Nodding along, Ash quickly pressed his thumb into the release button and threw the Poké Ball into the air, where it opened up. At the same time, he heard Gary open up his Poké Ball and let it fall to the floor. There was a large flash of light, before two beams shot of the Poké Balls and began to take shape in front of Ash and Gary. The materialized Pokémon were a pair of small fennec-like creatures standing on four legs, with bushy, brown fur. They had a cat-like muzzle and a fluffy, cream-colored mane, with a small, black, triangular nose, as well as short bushy tails, the tips of which were also cream colored.

“The Pokémon you see the before you are called Eevee,” said Professor Oak. “a somewhat rare and very unique species. In general, Eevee are an honest, loving, and very smart breed. However, they are a very strong willed species with the energy of a Pichu and the pride of a Charizard. It is this unique combination that makes them such a challenge to train, even for veteran trainers.”

Unlike the trio of starters that came before them, the Eevee were wide awake, staring at Ash and Gary with narrowed, honey colored eyes. Looking at the Pokémon in front of him, Ash felt a mix of confusing feelings go through him. While he was still somewhat disappointed that he wouldn’t be getting one of the traditional three starters, he was more than a little excited at the prospect of getting a Pokémon as rare as Eevee as a Starter. However, he also couldn’t help but feel wary at the look of misgiving being sent his way.

After giving Ash and Gary a moment to introduce themselves to their Starters, and vice versa, Professor Oak walked back to the table and picked up the card board box, calling the children’s attention back to him.

“Right, now that the business of Starters has been taken cared of, it’s time to get down to business. As I already told you, I will be giving each of you a Pokédex to help me with my research while you are on your journey.” As he talked, he walked up the each of the kids and had them pull a Pokédex out of the box. “These Pokédex will serve a role similar to that of a pager, and a journal while you five are on your journeys. Simply turn it on and enter the needed information.”

“Gramps?” Gary raised a hand in the air, making the Professor pause and look towards him. “What do you mean you’ll be having us help you with your research?”

“If you don’t mind Professor, Luke and I could answer this,” Delia spoke up, pointing to herself and the assistant. “Times change, Gary. The information that your Grandfather’s generation and their predecessors had on Pokémon isn’t as up to date as many would like it to be: new information about Pokémon are discovered everyday, and the Professor and his assistants can’t keep up with everything by themselves.”

“That’s right, Delia,” Luke said, smiling and turning to face them. “This is where you five come in: once you come across a Pokémon, the Pokédex will give you access to all of the information that the Professor has on the Pokémon in question, along with the Pokemon’s habitat and gender. Should you come across a Pokémon whose information looks to be out of date, your job is for you to add along to it whatever way you see fit and send the new data back to us at the Lab.”

Professor Oak nodded. “Well said, you two. Now, for our last order of business, why don’t you kids go ahead and scan each others Pokémon as a start? Daisy we’ll start with your Charmander, then Raye’s Bulbasaur, followed by Nate’s Squirtle, ending with Ash and Gary’s Eevee’s.”

The five nodded and stepped back until all five of their Pokémon in the lab were in the range of their Pokédex’s camera, then pressed the button for the scanner to activate. In less than a minute, their Pokédex’s simultaneously let out a loud beeping sound and a cool female voice began telling them a basic summary of the Pokémon in the room.

_**Bulbasaur, 001. Type: Grass/Poison. Species Ability: Overgrow. Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon. Bulbasaur can often be seen napping in the bright sunlight. On its back is a seed that was planted at birth, filled with nutrients and energy. As Bulbasaur grows, the seed on its back absorbs more sunlight and will steadily grow.** _

_**This Bulbasaur is a Male and has a Sassy Nature. Currently known moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Ingrain, and Grassy Terrain. It’s Overgrow ability allows Bulbasaur to enhance the power of its Grass-type moves during extreme situations.** _

Raye looked at Bulbasaur with a bit of surprise. “That’s… not bad.”

“Yeah,” Gary said, with a bemused look on his face. “Since when does a Bulbasaur know Ingrain and Grassy Terrain?”

“Since their original owners,” the Professor answered with a smile. “The Starters that you’ll be receiving today are part of a special project between me and the various members of our League. As a result of their own special pedigree and minor training, each of these Pokémon will begin with moves that are somewhat more advanced for their species.”

“That’s not all,” Luke said, gathering everyone’s attention. “Due to their genetics, these Pokémon have a much larger movepool than is typical for their species and even have the ability to learn moves outside of their regular evolution line.”

“Raye, the Bulbasaur that your receiving today was bred with assistance from Erika, the Leader of the Celedon Gym,” Delia spoke up.

To say that Raye was surprised would be an understatement. Like all Gym Leaders, Erika was a celebrity in the Pokémon taming world. However, she was famous even by those standards. Erika got her start as a regular rookie trainer, having moved to Kanto from her home region in Kalos, similar to Delia and Ash. However, she quickly made a name for herself after completely blowing through the competition in her first year as a trainer; using a team of only Grass and poison Pokémon. Now, almost a decade later, she was the leader of one the Greater Gyms of Kanto; being the second person in the history of the region to become a Gym Leader without succeeding it through hereditary means.

Gary nodded thoughtfully. “Well, now I’m curious about what all of the other Pokémon know.”

_**Charmander, 004. Type: Fire. Species Ability: Blaze. Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. From the time that it is born, a flame grows at the tip of its tail, showing its mood and the strength of its life force. Should the flame atop its tail go out, the Charmander will die.** _

_**This Charmander is Female and has a Modest Nature. Currently known moves: Scratch, Ember, Dragon Dance, and Sunny Day. Its Blaze ability allows Charmander to enhance the power of its Fire-type moves during extreme situations.** _

Professor Oak smiled. “Daisy, your Charmander is very special. Originally, I was going to ask Blaine, the leader of the Cinnabar Gym, to assist me with the breeding of this Charmander, but as luck would have it, another person stepped forward as a volunteer at the last minute.”

Daisy looked up at the Professor. “Who?”

“…Unfortunately, I cannot tell you at this moment as the volunteer would like to remain anonymous.” The Professor answered. “However, I can tell you that your Charmander’s father was a very strong, very unique Dragon-type Pokémon.”

Daisy smiled down at Charmander. “You’re pretty strong, aren’t you girl?”

Charmander nodded sharply, flexing her sharp claws.

_**Squirtle, 007. Type: Water. Species Ability: Torrent. Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. The shell is not just used for protection. Its round shape and the grooves on the surface help minimize resistance in water, enabling the species to swim at high speeds.** _

_**This Squirtle is Male and has a Quiet Nature. Currently known moves: Tackle, Water Gun, Aqua Ring, and Rain Dance. Its Torrent ability allows Squirtle to enhance the power of its Water-type moves during extreme situations.** _

“Not too bad,” Nate’s said quietly, reaching down to scratch Squirtle’s head. “Actually, that’s not bad at all.”

Delia smiled. “Nate, you have the Sensational Sisters from Cerulean City to thank for your Squirtle.”

Nate’s eyes went wide with surprise as his face turned beet red. When he spoke, it was if he was choking. “Th-Th-The S-Sensational Sisters?”

Delia nodded, completely ignoring how flustered Nate was becoming. “Yes. They recently got a new Pokémon from Hoenn as a member of their main team, and they were happy to assist us with our breeding program.”

_**Eevee, 133. Type: Normal. Species Ability: Adaptability and Run Away. Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. A rare Pokémon that possesses a unique, yet unstable and irregularly shaped genetic structure. It is this genetic makeup that allows it to adapt to virtually any known environment.** _

_**The first Eevee is Female and has a Bold Nature. Currently known moves: Tackle, Helping Hand, Covet, and Wish.** _

_**The second Eevee is Male and has an Adamant Nature. Currently known moves: Tackle, Helping Hand, Covet, and Heal Bell.** _

_**Both Eevee’s share the ability of Adaptability, which doubles the power of their same type ability moves.** _

Professor Oak clapped his hands together. “Right. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. Daisy, Nate Raye; why don’t you three go on outside and let your new Pokémon stretch their legs, while you finish getting ready for your journeys? Ash, Gary, I’d like to have a word with you. Delia, you may stay. Lucas, I’d like for you to watch over the children.”

Nate and the girls looked confused at the suggestion, but did it without comment, waving goodbye as they picked their Pokémon up. The Professor watched them leave and locked the door behind them once they’d left. After that, he whispered something to Delia and walked out of the room.

“Where’s he going?” Gary asked. “And why did he ask us to stay?”

“Oh, he’s just getting some last minute items for your journey’s. You know how scatterbrained your Grandfather can be.” Delia smiled. “But while we’re waiting, have either thought about giving your Eevee’s a name? It might make things easier for the both of you, especially when it comes to bonding with them.”

“I hadn’t thought about that at all,” Ash said, frowning. He turned to Gary. “Do you want to? It really would make things easier on us.”

Gary shrugged. “Sure. You can go first.”

Ash nodded and walked over to his Eevee, making his footsteps loud and heavy so as to alert her to his presence. She glared at him when he sat down next to him, but other than that just ignored him. Ash couldn’t help sighing, but he kept his head up; one way or another, he was going to connect to his Starter, and giving her a nickname really was the best first step he could think of.

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and began talking. “I know you don’t like me, and I don’t blame you for it. But I would really like if we could be friends. And I was thinking, what better way for us to start off on a good note than to give you a nickname? I promise, to make it a really great one, if you’d let me.”

Gary snorted from where he was sitting, but Ash ignored him, focusing on the Eevee beside him. She stared at him with those wide honey eyes, before letting out what Ash thought was a snort and laying her head back down, closing her eyes. After a moment, with Ash taking her action to mean no, she opened one of her eyes and flicked her tail towards him, giving him an irritated, but expectant look.

‘ _I guess that’_ _s_ _a yes._ ’

“Right,” Ash said, thinking. “how about Eve?”

Eevee shook her head and swished her tail behind her, her eyes falling shut again. When Ash once again failed to say anything, she flicked opened an eye and flicked her tail towards him again, which Ash took as a sign to keep guessing.

“Eva?”

Another of swish her tail and shake of the head. Ash frowned, but continued going through names. However, after five minutes and two dozen names all shot down, he was nearing his wits end.

“Normala?”

Eevee shook her head and swished her tail once more, this time opening both eyes and shooting Ash such a disgusted look that he couldn’t help but wince. In the background, Gary snorted and began snickering to himself. While he wouldn’t outright say it, it was obvious that he was taking no small amount of pleasure in Ash’s failure to think of a good enough name for his Eevee.

“Sweetie?” Delia spoke up, sending Gary a look that had him sit up and quiet down. “Why don’t you try more … specific for a name? Something unique and creative, to make Eevee feel special.”

Ash frowned thoughtfully. With the way that Eevee had rejected all of the names he’d thrown out, he’d thought she was just being picky or prideful. He hadn’t taken the time to wonder if she’d simply wanted something less generic and more original.

“Amber?” He asked hesitantly, taking a few minutes to think about it. “Because of your eyes?”

Eevee opened her eyes, tilting her head with a thoughtful look on her face. However, after a few tense moments, she shook her head and swished her tail again. While he’d suspected the name would be another miss, Ash still couldn’t help groaning in frustration. He once again had the feeling that she was intentionally making things more difficult than they needed to be.

“Why don’t we put a hold on the nicknames, for now at least?” Ash suggested after taking a moment to calm down. “We can try again when we get to know each other better.”

Eevee opened her eyes again, looking thoughtful, before nodding once and flicking her tail. A moment later and she’d closed her eyes once more. It wasn’t exactly the enthusiastic response that he’d been hoping for, but it was still confirmation and Ash was counting it as a win.

“Eevee it’ll stay then.” Ash smiled, albeit wryly.

Eevee shot another look at him and swished her tail; tapping him lightly on the nose, as if to chastise him for taking up so much of her time. Ash sighed, but kept the smile on his face. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you Eevee. My names Satoshi, but everyone calls me Ash.”

Her eyes stayed closed, which made Ash think she wasn’t really paying any attention to him, but when he trailed off, Eevee flicked her tail and hit him on his nose again, which Ash was beginning to see was Eevee’s way of telling him to continue.

“Right. Well, I know you don’t like me and I don’t blame you for it, but I’d like it if you would at least see me as a partner or something? My dream is to become a Pokémon Master, and I’d like it if you could be with me on my way there. I promise to make you the best Eevee of them all if you do.”

Gary snorted again, and Ash couldn’t help himself this time. Him and Gary were friends, best friends, but nobody laughed at his dreams. He jumped up and whirled around, flaring and clenching his fists. “Got something to say, Gary?”

Gary looked surprised for a second, but it was quickly covered up with a sneer as he also jumped out of his seat. “Actually, now that you bring it up, I do have something to say; it’s gonna be pretty hard to be a Pokémon Master or make her the ‘‘best Eevee of them all’’ when Valor and I are gonna be the best.”

“Valor?”

“Yeah, while you and your _Eevee_ were taking forever picking out names, I’d managed to name my Eevee on my first try.”

“And you chose Valor of all names?”

“At least I managed to name mine!”

“Boys,” Delia interrupted with a small smile. “that is quite enough.”

She hadn’t gotten upset in any truly visible way, but they both recognized the too sweet smile on her face. With a shiver, they nodded their heads and sat back down, a silent truce between them; nothing was worth getting in trouble with Ash’s mom.

Professor Oak finally came back, holding a box in his hands. “Sorry I took so long, boys. I forgot where I’d stashed these at.”

Gary looked at the disc with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. “…What are they?”

“You’ll see soon Gary,” Professor Oak said with a slight smile. “Very soon actually. But not until we are outside.”

Ash and Gary shared a bemused look, before remembering they were upset with each other and quickly looking away, huffing as they did so. As one they stood up and followed each other outside, stomping and adamantly refusing to look at each other. Delia trailed behind them with their Pokémon beside her.

Once they’d gotten outside, the Professor had the five of them line up, side-by-side, with their Starters sitting at their feet.

“First off,” The Professor began, “I would just like to say how proud I am of each of you, and how much I am going to miss your presence; these last few years that I’ve spent as your teacher was some of the happiest of my life. Second, I have a couple of extra items that I would like to give out before you lot leave on your journeys.”

With that, he reached into his box and pulled out a handful of long, oddly shaped objects from the box. In a way, they reminded Ash of a Telephone, though these were the side of an adults hand and came with bands. With a smile, The Professor handed passed one out to each of them; blue and white for the boys, and white and pink for the girls.

“These are your Poké Gear,” Professor Oak said before they could ask. “They are an important tool for all Trainers to have, and will help you on each of your journeys. They operate somewhat similarly to your average phone, but with other functions that will assist you in various ways.”

After helping them put the Pokégear on and set it up, he then reached back into the box and pulled out a handful of cases that carried small disks within them.

“And finally, we have these,” Passing each of them a case, he began explaining, “There are TM’s, short for Technical Machines. They contain special moves within them that you can teach to your Pokémon. These particular TM’s contain the moves Return and Hidden Power. I can’t explain both of them with too much depth, but each of them depend greatly on your Pokémon and how well you will raise them. How well you are able to use these moves will be a true test and evidence of your prowess as a tamers.”

“With these, each of you should be set for your adventures,” The Professor said, looking them over. “The only thing I can really tell you is to head to Viridian City and go to the League Center so you may receive your official Trainer License, and stock up on whatever supply’s you may need. Other than that, please stay safe and look out for each other on your journeys.”

With that, he pushed his hands into his pockets and walked back into the Lab, Lucas following behind him. It might of just been his imagination playing tricks on him, but Ash thought he saw tears gathering in both of their eyes.

Ash turned to his mom, ready to say goodbye, but found himself wrapped in a bone-crushing hug before he knew what was happening. Ordinarily, just the thought of hugging his mom in front of his friends would be enough to make him blush and he wouldn’t hesitate to protest, but this time, he found himself hugging her back and squeezing her just as hard.

When his mom finally let go, Ash saw that she had tears in her eyes and knew he was close to crying himself.

“Stay safe.” She said, and gave him one last small hug before running back into the lab.

Ash swallowed and took a deep breath, turning to look at his now former classmates. “Well, you guys ready to go then?”

Gary didn’t say anything, looking truly hesitant for the first time that Ash could remember. Nate and the girls shared a look between them, before Daisy nodded her head.

“We’re all ready, I think.” She said slowly, pulling on a stray lock of her shiny hair. “But Nate, Raye, and I were talking, and we were thinking that maybe we should stay together. Just for a little while longer.”

“For how long?” Gary said, frowning slightly. “I know that you and I decided to travel together, but is it really a good idea for all of us stay together as a group? It’ll just making things harder down the road.”

“Not for long,” Nate said quickly. “Just until we get to Cerulean… or maybe Vermilion, since Vermilion is close to other cities.”

“I thought it sounded like a good plan,” Raye said. “But I said I’d only do it if all of us were. So are you guys in?”

“… Yeah, whatever.” Gary said, but it lacked any real irritation. “Ash?”

Ash frowned. If he was being honest, the thought of traveling with other people wasn’t something he’d really thought about before. Whenever he thought about his journey as trainer, he’d always pictured himself more or less alone. And now, at the start of his journey, the thought of traveling with his former classmates wasn’t something that really appealed to him.

And yet…

“I’ll do it.” Ash said eventually. “If it’s just until Cerulean or Vermilion, I’ll do it.”

He also just wasn’t ready to say goodbye after spending so many years with them. Not yet at least.

 


	2. Route 1 and Viridian City (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rookies 5 spend some time on the road, where they take the time to bond with their new starter Pokemon. Or if your Ash, then you spend the time talking to your new starter who is semi-ignoring you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm so very sorry for how long this took to get up. My old laptop finally broke down on me and I had to get an almost entirely new one. Then if that wasn't bad enough, I also began having problems with my Wifi. The only upside to all of that is that it gave me more than enough time to make this chapter. 
> 
> That being said, I'm not too satisfied with how this chapter came out. It's more of a filler than anything else, but it needed to be wrote

**_Kanto Region: Route One_ **

An hour later, the fivesome were walking the Route 1 trail to Viridian City, their starters alongside them. Initially, it was agreed they’d just have their Pokémon ride in the Poké Balls until they reached Viridian, but Raye said that since their Starters were still fairly young, they would need as much exercise as they could get to build up their muscles. Since it was still early in the noon, they decided to take their time walking and getting to know their new Pokémon. By unspoken agreement, they were walking far enough away that they had their own space, but close enough that they were in shouting distance.

If Ash was being honest, he was really struggling with just how he was supposed to connect with Eevee. While she didn’t outright ignore him or try to attack him, Ash still got the feeling that he was little more than a nuisance as far as Eevee was concerned.

She was not only unwilling to trust him, but she also had no problem with letting it be known. Initially, he’d gotten the idea to pick her up and carry her in his arms, but when he’d attempted to do so, she’d bitten him hard enough to draw blood. After that, he’d left her alone and just walked along side her.

At the others advising, he’d gotten the idea to just talk to simply talk to Eevee as they walked: while it wouldn’t make her just drop her guards out of nowhere and talk to him, Eevee would still see that he was at least attempting to make friends with her. Initially, he’d struggled with what he wanted to talk to her about, but after a few minutes, he just began talking about anything that came to mind. He told her about his mom, his life back in Kalos and the friends he had there, his new life in Kanto and the friends he’d made here (Gary, Daisy, Nate, and Raye), the things he loved and the things he hated, even his dream to be a Pokémon Master. Throughout it all, Eevee remained cool and silent; never once looking towards him, but occasionally she would flick her tail at his legs whenever he quieted, which Ash knew was her signal for him to keep going.

Eventually, Ash ran out of things to talk about and instead just took the time to observe Eevee. He already anticipated that she’d have a somewhat prideful personality after Professor Oak’s warning, but he still couldn’t help but be surprised by her behavior; prim and proper, if Ash had to describe her. When she walked, she did so in precise sort of way: steady and even, with her head held high.

‘ _She’s more regal than prideful,_ ’ Ash thought. ‘ _Though that’s not really better._ ’

After a while, when the sun began to set, Ash made his way back to his friends.

“How’s everyone doing?” Ash asked them. “Holding up alright?”

Daisy shrugged. “I’m alright. Could use some water though.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to get thirsty too.” Gary said, nodding. He turned looked in Nate and Raye’s direction. “You guys wanna stop and take a break?”

“Yes,” Nate said quickly. “I’m not used to doing this much walking. Can we please stop for a bit?”

“I don’t mind pausing for a short break,” answered Raye, shooting Nate an unimpressed look. “But I’d like to make more progress before we take another one. I want to get Viridian in two days, three at most.”

The look on Nate’s face was one of pure betrayal, but he stayed quiet as the group walked towards a large tree and sat down at its base, pulling out canteens of water from their bags, while their Pokémon sat at their feet.

“So,” Gary started, looking at each of them. “do you guys all know what you want to do? While we’re on our journey and all? I know what I’m going to do, but what about you all?”

“I’m going to be a Pokémon Coordinator,” Daisy said, playing with her hair and taking a drink of water.

“A Coordinator?” Gary asked bemusedly. “Really?”

“What’s wrong with being a Coordinator?” Daisy asked, frowning.

“Nothing,” Gary said defensively. “I just don’t see you of all people as a Coordinator!”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?!”

“What do you think?!”

“I don’t know about you guys,” Raye interjected, raising her voice. “But I wouldn’t mind becoming a Pokémon Breeder or something. Nate?”

Nate looked upset about being put on the spot, but in the interest of stopping one of Gary and Daisy’s legendary fights, he hurried to keep the conversation going. “I’m actually not sure what I want to do yet. There’s so many things to choose from, ya know?”

“Become a Coordinator, like me!” Daisy said quickly. “It’s really cool, and Pokémon Contests are really interesting. There’s a lot of different categories and the battles are always different, so you’re sure to stay interested and motivated…unlike with Gym Challenging.”

Gary scowled, turning to look at Ash, who was attempting to blend in with the trunk of the tree.

“Well, what do you think, Ashy-boy?” Gary asked loudly, drawing the attention of Daisy and the others. “Training or Coordinating?”

“…I like them both?” Ash said weakly. That wasn’t actually true, he preferred Gym Challenges over Contests any day, but in the interest placating two of his best friends and preventing a war from breaking out, he chose for a more neutral answer.

Gary’s face went from angry, to plain unimpressed; having spent the last few years with him, Gary knew Ash just as well as he knew the back of his own hand, and could guess what was going through his friends mind. “But if you had to, which one would you choose?”

“…I like Gym Challenges,” Ash began carefully, looking at his two friends. Upon seeing Daisy’s face take on a dejected look, he quickly added, “But I think Contests are cool too.”

Again a lie, but if it kept the crestfallen look off of Daisy’s face, then it was a lie he was more than comfortable with telling and standing by. Gary must have realized it too, because he groaned, but let the argument drop, which Ash was more than grateful for. While he cared for Raye and Nate, Gary and Daisy were easily his two best friends, and he hated it when they argued, especially when he was forced to play mediator between them.

After a while, Gary brought up a different topic and jump started a new group conversation, but Ash decided to stay out of this one. Instead, his mind was on a different topic that he’d almost forgotten about until now: the Gym Challenge. As part of the International Trainers Agreement, in order to participate in within a League in any region, trainers needed to get a certain number of badges through Gym Challenges. There were two types of Challenges available, and while Trainers typically chose one or the other, it wasn’t unheard of for a Trainers to do both.

Ash already knew which he was doing. It was the same as Gary: the Traditional Gym Challenge.

While there were probably around two dozen or so Gyms in Kanto, there were only Eight that were recognized as being “True” among the Trainer community. The Gyms from the eight original settlements of Old Kanto were recognized as the best of the best. While the other minor gyms were good in their own rights, they just didn’t compare to the Eight as far as many was concerned.

The first of the Gym’s that he’d be officially challenging would be Pewter City Gym, which utilized Rock-type Pokémon. Together with Cerulean and Vermilion Gyms, the Pewter Gym was a part of the “Rookie Trio”; called so because their leaders were the only ones who took it easy on beginning Trainers and usually only used one member of their main teams, and even that depended on the challenger.

After them were the Celadon and Fuchsia city Gyms, and the leaders who both used two or three members of their main team depending on the challengers skill. Then there was the Golden Trinity of Kanto: the leaders of the Saffron, Cinnabar, and Viridian Gyms.

Those three were without a doubt the most powerful Gym Leaders in all of Kanto. They were also the most ruthless; unlike the other leaders, the Leaders of those Gyms didn’t hold back when fighting against trainers, and were known for putting a total end to the careers of the Trainers by brutalizing their Pokémon to the point of intense hospitalization. The Cinnabar and Saffron Gyms only excepted trainers who had a minimum of five Badges, and the Viridian Gym only accepted challengers who’d managed to collect seven.

So, with that in mind, Ash had decided to just work his way up from Gym to Gym, training as hard as he possibly could until he reached the point that he was able to battle against the Viridian Gym.

The first thing he wanted to do once he got to Viridian City was teach Eevee Hidden Power, and then spend some time training her on how to use it. Ash didn’t know exactly what kind of move Hidden Power was or how strong of a move it would be right now, but he knew that the Professor hadn’t given it to him for no reason. It had to have some sort of value.

“And the only way to know for sure is to test to it out.” Ash said to himself, causing the others to pause their conversation and turn towards him.

“Did you say something Ash?” Daisy asked.

“No. Just thinking,” Ash stood up and stretched, getting Eevee’s attention. “You guys ready to go?”

“I was waiting for someone to ask.” Raye answered, brushing her skirt with her hands. She looked up towards the sky and frowned. “We should hurry up. It’ll be dark after a while, and I want to be at least be close to Viridian by the time we make camp.”

The others nodded in agreement, Nate groaning as he did so, and put everything in to their bags, calling their Pokémon to them as they did so. After making sure they had everything, they set back on the road.

For the rest of the day, nothing really eventful happened. Every now and then, they ran into some wild Pokémon which they had their Starters battle, but they mostly just walked in silence, sticking together this time. After a while, the sun began to set and they agreed to pick a good spot to set up camp before it got too dark out. Eventually, they were able to find a nice area a little deeper in the wood, next to a river. Deeming it a good area, they all took their bags off and took out their sleeping bags.

After setting everything up, Gary and Nate left to find firewood and other burnables, while Ash, Daisy, and Raye stayed to set up camp. By an unspoken agreement, Raye, the only to bring a tent, would be sleeping with Daisy, closest to the fire pit, while the guys took their spots at the edges of the camp. While Raye and Daisy set up the tent, Ash went took everyone’s water bottles from their bags and went to the river to fill them back up.

While their canteens, large and thick, still had more than enough water in them, Ash didn’t want to take any chances. He’d heard more then enough stories about rookie trainers who’d drowned in rivers after attempting to refill their canteens in the dead of the night. The last thing he wanted was something like that happening to one of them.

After filling each of the canteens up to the brim, Ash made his way back to the camp, only to see that Gary and Nate still hadn’t made their way back. Ash told himself that Gary and Nate would be okay — the Pokémon in this area could be barely be called a threat — he couldn’t stop himself from frowning in concern. While Ash was sure that Gary would be able to take care of himself, he couldn’t say the same thing about Nate. He was so timid, and Ash had wondered more than a few times why a boy like that would ever want to become an actual Pokémon and go on an adventure.

Just as Ash was about to run off and look for them, Gary and Nate came running back to the Campsite, their arms full of sticks and small branches. Just behind them were Valor, who carried a small branch in his mouth, and Nate’s Squirtle, whose tail was curled around a bundle of sticks. Panting and Sweating, they threw the massive piles into the fire pit they’d created and dropped down on the ground.

“… Light … please.” Gary was just barely visible in the darkening forest, but Ash was able to see him point towards Daisy and Charmander. “Should … last … night.”

“Are you guys alright?” Daisy asked, looking over the both of them with a concerned look. “You were gone really long.”

“We’re fine,” Gary said, waving his hand. “We just ran into a bit of trouble.”

Raye frowned. “What kind of trouble?”

“Wild … Pokémon.” answered Nate, lying on his back and catching on his breath. “…Migration … nests … hoards …”

It took Ash a minute to understand, but he couldn’t help but wince once he did. The Great Migration as it was called was a yearly event when the various Flying and Water-type Pokémon of the Regions would leave their home country for Migration time. Starting from Sinnoh, they would make their way to Kanto and Johto, then to Hoenn, before returning to Sinnoh. During the Migration, the traveling Pokémon would stay and nest for a few months; mating and laying eggs during the summer months of the Region they were currently in, before leaving again. It was a process that a lot of Trainers looked forward to, because it gave them the opportunity to catch rare Pokémon that they’d usually have to do a lot of traveling to get to.

However, there was a downside to it all: after flying for so many days, the traveling Pokémon tended to be tired for the first week or so of the Migration, making them more irritable than they’d normally be and more prone to attacking as a result. The fact that Gary and Nate had gotten away without any signs of visible damage was nothing short of a blessing.

Daisy seemed to share Ash’s thoughts, because she frowned and pointed to the bundle of sticks. “Light that, Kari. Please and thank you.”

Ash was confused for a moment as to who she was talking to, but then he realized that she was talking to her Charmander, and he immediately felt like an idiot. Of course she gave her Charmander a nickname; nicknames were one of the best first step for a Trainer to connect with their Pokémon. Kari shot out a small burst of fire that immediately turned into mini inferno upon coming into contact with the bundle, then walked back towards Daisy, who patted her head in reward.

“That should last until morning, so we can sleep with it still going.” Raye said, giving the forest around the clearing a tense look. “Wild Pokémon will be less likely to come towards us once they see the fire.”

With that, she crawled into her tent, her Bulbasaur trailing behind her. After giving a hug to Gary and a small wave to Ash and Nate, Daisy followed Raye inside the tent, Kari trotting behind her, being careful not to touch anything with her tail.

As he crawled into his own sleeping bag, Ash reflected on his day so far: he was finally setting off on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer, eventually a Pokémon Master. And while he was still disappointed that Eevee still didn’t like him, he rationalized that it was only their first day together, and he had forever to make friends with her.

‘ _Speaking of Eevee._ ’

Ash turned over in his sleeping bag and looked at his Starter, who was lying alongside Valor in front of the fire. As he looked at her, Ash couldn’t help but sigh to himself. He really had no idea of how he was supposed to make her open up to him. After a few more minutes, where he made sure she was really asleep and not faking to lull him into a false sense of security, Ash sat up from his sleeping bag and walked towards Eevee as silently as he could, making sure not to wake her.

Once he reached the fire, he bent down and scooped her in his arms, walking back to his sleeping bag. Carefully laying her next to him, he turned his back towards her and closed his eyes.

He was finally on the road to be a Pokémon Master.

**_… … … … … … … … …_ **

Ash was woken up by the strange and completely unexpected feeling of being doused in the face with foamy, lukewarm water. He’d immediately attempted to jump up, only for his legs to get tangled in his sleeping bag and slammed back down. After he’d spent ten minutes untangling himself, he’d immediately jumped up and whirled around, glaring at whoever had the nerve to wake him the way they did.

Instead of coming face-to-face with Gary like he’d expected, Ash found himself glaring down at Nate’s Squirtle. Rather than backing down, the tiny Pokémon stared back at Ash with his own pinkish-red eyes. While he’d tried to the staring contest going, in the end, Ash was the first to look away, grumbling as he did so. For some reason, Ash wasn’t surprised to see that Eevee wasn’t around.

“Did you have to have your Squirtle douse me like that?” Ash grumbled to Nate as they gathered up their sleeping bags and other belongings. “You couldn’t have woken me up like a normal person.”

“It was his idea.” Nate said, pointing to where Gary was sitting and talking to the girls. “The rest of us all got up early. You took the longest to get up.”

Ash sighed, but didn’t bother saying anything else. By now he just wanted to get to Viridian so he could register. Maybe it was Raye rubbing off on him, but after spending a night along the Route, Ash couldn’t help but think they were wasting more time than needed.

Once they’d finished gathering up their things and getting ready, everyone was reminded that they’d hadn’t had dinner last night.

Since everyone had only packed enough food to last a couple days at most, Raye and Daisy decided to go out and search around for some berries, while Ash, Gary, and Nate stayed behind to prepare the food. After talking it over, it’d been decided that they’d each fork over whatever rations they might have and pool them together so they could eat as a group and make sure everyone stayed at least a little well fed.

Half an hour later they were once again sitting in front of a fire, eating a breakfast that consisted of toast and the handful Oran berries that the girls had brought back. Because none of them had any actual Pokémon food on them, they’d each given their Starters a portion of their own food.

Raye sat up from where she was attempting eat and brush her hair at the same time. “Right, so I really want to cover some ground today. Viridian should only be day away at most, so I really want to get there by tonight. Or tomorrow morning if not that.”

“That sounds alright to me,” Daisy agreed. She took a bite of her fruit and looked carefully at each of them. “But how long do you guys want to stay once we get there?”

Gary answered, taking a bite out of his toast. “I’m not sure. I mean, we still have to turn in the forms for our Trainer Licenses. And we have to call Gramps and everyone to tell them we made it.”

“I forgot about our Licenses.” Raye said with a grimace. She looked at Daisy and Gary. “Do you think it’ll take long?”

Gary shrugged. “It depends.”

“Usually with a group our size, it’ll take a day at least.” Daisy answered carefully. “But since we already have our paperwork and Gramps told them we were coming, it shouldn’t take as long. If we’re lucky, it’ll only take a day at most.”

Raye nodded slowly. “Alright, so first we go the Pokémon Center to rest up and call our families. Then to the registration center for our Licenses. Anything else?”

“Well, I have to stop by the Contest Hall and register there too,” Daisy replied. “But that’s it for me. Ash? Nate?”

Nate shook his head. “I can’t think of anything else we have to do. Ash?”

“I wanted to teach Hidden Power to Eevee,” Ash answered carefully, speaking around his mouthful of toast. “And I heard that Viridian has some good Pokémon around it, so I wanted to check those out.”

“I forgot about those.” Gary said, sitting up. “Count me in with Ash; I need to get some more Pokémon too.”

“I’m pretty sure we could all use some more Pokémon on our teams,” said Raye, shooting Gary a flat look. “But is that it?”

“…We should probably go to the Poké Mart and stock on some things,” Nate answered after a few moments. “But we could just do that as a group and save time.”

“Right.” Raye nodded and looked at each of them. “That’s it then? No one else has anything they need or want to do?”

When none of them spoke up to say other wise, she nodded again.

“Alright then!” Raye brought her hands together. “Let’s all finish eating and then we can get going; I want to get to Viridian as soon as possible!”

**_… … … … … … … … …_ **

“Use Tackle, Eevee!” Ash ordered, an excited gleam in his eyes.

At the command, Eevee’s tail swished behind her and she charged at her opponent, a Pidgey, throwing herself at it and bringing it down to the ground, where the two had a brief scuffle rolling in the dirt, before Eevee jumped back, her tail swishing behind her. The look that Eevee shot Pidgey was almost smug, except she was far too proud to ever do so. Instead, she took to smiling when the Pidgey attempted to stand, only to wince and jump into the air, hissing and flapping its wings in indignation.

It had been an hour since Ash had woken up on his second day as a Pokémon Trainer, fresh from his Trainers School. Like the day before, Ash traveled with Eevee separate from his friends; just far enough that their Poké Gear could still sense each other and send messages.

So far, Ash was truly enjoying himself. This was his third battle since being on the route, and he had a something of a winning streak going, though this was the first battle that he could honestly say that he was having an easy time with. And to top it all off, Eevee was also listening to him. While she would still shoot him the same bored and unimpressed looks every now then, she’d yet to disobey a single order of his, something that Ash had been more than a little afraid would happen. It wasn’t unheard of for new Pokémon to completely disregard the wishes of their Trainers, especially ones who didn’t have any badges as a way to command respect from them.

It was time to finish this. “Use Covet and knock that Pidgey out, Eevee!”

Eevee’s tail flicked behind her and she bared her teeth. A moment later, and she began to charge at the Pidgey; her eyes and paws glowing with power. As she got closer, the Pidgey let out a squack and at its trainers command, attempted to go to the ground and kick up a cloud of sand at her, but its hurt legs just wouldn’t allow her. Eevee picked up speed and jumped, throwing herself head first into the Pidgey, knocking it down for the what had to be the fourth time since the battle began. Only this time, it didn’t get back up.

After another brief scuffle in the dirt, Eevee jumped back, this time holding an Oran Berry between her paws, which she promptly ate, much to the dissatisfaction of Pidgey’s Trainer. Said Trainer glared at Ash and recalled his Pokémon, throwing Ash a crumpled up $10 and stomping away.

Not for the first time that day, Ash couldn’t help but frown, biting back a curse. Instead, he picked bent down and gathered Eevee into his arms. “Good job, Eevee.”

“Ee,” Eevee said with a smirk, before wiggling out of Ash’s arms and back on to the ground. Just because she was happy with her wins and had accepted him as her trainer, didn’t mean she liked him personally.

Sighing to himself, Ash continued down the road, with Eevee at his side.

For the rest of the day, aside from the odd Rattata and the messages from his friends, the road to Viridian had been fairly quiet. The last battle against the rude trainer with Eevee being the most eventful thing to happen all day. Thinking about them, made Ash frown. While he’d managed to win all three battles, they hadn’t been easy; in fact, the only reason that Ash had won the last battle was because the Pidgey had still been healing from a previous battle, if the bruises and the Oran berry around its neck had meant anything.

Just thinking about that battle made Ash uncomfortable, because it made him realize just how much a rookie he really was. To take his mind of it, he tried to think of different strategies to use when he challenged the Pewter Gym. However, as time went on, Ash was once again forced back to the realization that he was very unprepared for his upcoming challenge.

Eevee was already at a disadvantage as a Normal-type Pokémon, but when you combined that with the fact that she was still a rookie and only knew a handful of moves, then their chances at success waned until Ash had no idea what to do. While Covet was a fairly strong move, Ash hadn’t gotten a chance to actually test it out and train Eevee in using it in battle. And it was still a Normal-type move. Even if by some miracle she was able to take down her first adversary, Ash didn’t think there was any way that Eevee would win against the other opponents. Then there was the issue of defense: the only auxiliary moves she had were Helping Hand and Wish, and since Helping Hand was virtually useless in single battle, that left Wish as Eevee’s only supporting move.

The situation was enough to make Ash cry, if only out of sheer frustration and disappointment. He **needed** to teach Hidden Power to Eevee. Ash didn’t want to rely on a single move to win, but it was looking more and more like his best chance at sure victory.

And hour and a half later, and Viridian was finally in sight. The group decided to come back together and walked to the Pokémon Center together, Raye and Daisy leading the way to the front desk and the pink haired nurse who sat there.

Said nurse sat up and smiled as the group approached her desk.

“Good morning!” She said, smiling brightly. “Welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Center! I’m Nurse Joy, the had of this establishment; how can I be of service to you?”

“Good morning, Nurse Joy!” Daisy said brightly. “My name’s Daisy and this Raye. We were wondering if you could give our Pokémon a quick check up.”

“And if we could get two rooms,” Raye added. “One for Daisy and I to share, and another for the boys.”

“Well, I can most certainly do that for you,” said Nurse Joy. “Do you and your friends have your Pokédexes, and Trainer License and Identification?”

“…We have our Pokédexes,” Gary spoke up, slow and sheepish. “But we don’t have our Trainer License and I.D.s.”

Daisy nodded. “We’ve only just started on our journey…we were actually hoping to get everything today, when we went to the League Center.”

Nurse Joy nodded along, a look of understanding coming upon her face. “Of course…you must be the group of children Professor Oak messaged me about. Say no more; your Pokédexes will be all that is needed.”

All five gave over their Pokédexes and Nurse joy took each of them; plugging them into a computer and registering them into the computers data base. A few minutes later, and she handed the devices to each child, smiling as she did so. “Here you kids go. Now just hand your Pokémon to me and I’ll have them looked at in a few short minutes.”

“Thank you, Nurse Joy,” they chorused. Starting with Raye, each of them recalled their Pokémon and placed their Poké Balls on to the desk. A second later and a Chansey came out, placing their Poké Balls on to a tray and taking them to the back for their examination.

“Your Pokémon will be out shortly.” Nurse Joy said, gaining their attention. She then pulled out five key cards and passed them to each of them. “In the mean time, why don’t you why don’t you go ahead and go to your rooms. You Pokémon will be delivered back to you once their check ups are finished.”

The group thanked her and walked upstairs to their rooms, sitting their bags and taking the time to enjoy their brief respite after their walk from Pallet Town. After a few minutes, they decided to go down to the Pokemon Centers cafeteria, where they ate and packed away some snacks to enjoy later during their travel to Viridian Forest. An hour later, and they were found by a Chansey, who held their tray of Poké Balls.

“Finally!” Gary jumped up, hurriedly snatching his Poké Ball up from the tray. “I thought we were going to be here forever!”

“You’re so impatient, Gary,” Raye said, picking up her own Poké Ball from the tray and passing the others there own. “Though I can agree you with you for once. That did take a long time.”

Nate stood up, stretching his arms. “I guess its time to finish our registrations then?”

Gary nodded excitedly. “Yeah! Lets go!”

Ash shook his head in exasperation, but followed after them with a smile on his face, tailing alongside side Daisy. It was nice to get to just have fun after spending a day and a half on the road, camping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I'm not too happy with how this chapter came out. You won't believe how many times I went through this and edited this, adding and removing entire blocks of paragraphs. 
> 
> Anyways, please tell me what you thought about it! What were the parts you liked and disliked, what stood out to you, and what didn't make sense to you? I can only grow as writer with feedback people! Even a simple kudos helps me.

**Author's Note:**

> ...Yeah, I'm not too happy with how this came out. But here it is anyway. While I have some ideas for it, I'm not too sure if I'll actually continue this or not, so any feedback would be really great! 
> 
> Please leave a comment and tell me your thoughts!


End file.
